Yap, Micronesia

Photo: Michael Aw

Although only half an hour flight away from Guam, Yap is a different world. Ancient culture, social values and traditions prevail. Yapese men wear the traditional bright loin cloths, and the women grass skirts.

This 118sqkm state is composed of four main islands (known as Wa'ab) plus 15 outer islands (known as Remetau). The outer islands are all atolls, except for one, and stretch more than 1000km east towards Chuuk. With the exception of a few tourist hotels and diving operations, life goes on much as it has done for the last 100 years.

US dollars are now an acceptable currency, but Yap's traditional stone money is still used.

The divingYap is supported by four diving operations. Beyond the Reef, Nature's Way, ORC and Yap Divers, which is run by the legendary Bill Acker - the man who almost single-handedly brought worldwide fame to the mantas of Yap. While the Japanese mainly patronise ORC and stay at Village View Resort, most divers dive with Yap Divers or Beyond the Reef - they are all on the main island of Yap. These world-class operations typically offer two or three dives a day with lunch, cakes, hot tea and drinks included in the package. Ancillary facilities include a photographic shop, underwater camera rental, same-day E6-processing, photo instruction and video with editing facilities.

Tourists are attracted to Yap for its wonderful culture, but they mostly come for its spectacular diving opportunities, including what is probably one of the most unique in the world - meeting giant manta rays face to face. Elsewhere, sightings of mantas are infrequent, and it is even rarer to swim with them, but in Yap manta rays can be observed up close every day of the year. They mainly congregate at cleaning stations such as Manta Ridge and Car Wash, found along the Goofnuw and Miil Channels.

Morning is the best time for mantas. When several patiently wait in to have parasites removed from their undersides by small wrasse and butterflyfish. It is always a captivating experience to see such majestic and gentle creatures hovering almost motionless as they are manicured by their reef associates. On one memorable dive I saw 12 of these magnificent animals, each measuring about 4m from wing tip to wing tip, all swooping and turning like a squadron of stealth bombers in flight.

When to go Diving in Yap is available throughout the year but the best time to visit is between December and April. You can expect to see mantas in Miil Channel in December and from January to March when they are mating. In May the mantas migrate to Goofnuw Channel and in November they move back to Miil Channel. Visibility in the lagoon and channels averages about 15m, but visibility of 30m can be occasionally be had on the outer reef wall.

Top dives Goofnuw Channel: Valley of the Rays Goofnuw Channel is the place for mantas and is a 25-minute boat journey from the Manta Ray Bay Hotel. Between the channel and inner lagoon area, there are three cleaning stations. 'Merry Go Round', near the end of the channel, is dominated by lettuce corals. Visibility is poor, but the mantas are often seen soaring in endless circles around the lettuce outcrop. 'Car Wash' and 'Manta Rock' are coral pinnacles that rise to about 10m from the surface. Large numbers of mantas congregate around the outgoing tide. These rocks provide ideal shelter from tidal current, which may run to about 4 knots. The staghorn corals on the reef slope are prolific and pristine, and white-tip sharks, octopus and turtles are also local denizens. Morning dives are best between May and November.

Miil Channel Manta Cleaning Stations An alternative manta site is Miil Channel, and the journey from the Manta Ray Bay Hotel takes about 45 minutes, so two or three tanks are recommended. Manta Ridge is 9m across in the middle of the channel, an ideal place for mantas to feed and be cleaned at the same time. Over the ridge there is a large coral outcrop, which is a favourite hangout for up to 30 mantas.

O'Keefe's Island This relatively newly discovered snorkel area and muck dive site is five minutes from Manta Ray Bay Hotel. Gobies and seahorses are often found, but the attraction is the density of mandarinfish. These dragonets have made Yap the macro capital of Micronesia.